Hey everyone! A VERY IMPORTANT note here: This is the new all-in-one M-series, so the model number is important. It is: M213AD-K8 and is currently $199. This review is NOT for the M21d-H8, which was released previously and is currently found at retailers for $149. I don't have personal experience with the older model, which does not technically support Dolby Atmos as this soundbar does. Other differences include the LED display structure. The new model should hit store shelves soon, but can easily be confused with the older version, which is currently being sold and much easier to find.
@@Caleb_Denison the older model AIO has an led display on the remote letting you know what input is being used and light indicators on the bar as well, it will also call out what input is currently being used. The AIO is an awesome soundbar if you keep your expectations in check, but if the new model doesn't have at least the led sceen remote its a downgrade. Awesome reviews awesome info awesome channel and you killed it at the TV shootout.
I’m looking for an affordable sound bar for my basement man town. Mostly for sports and some movies. Is this sound bar suitable or would you pick something different?
Accidentally bought the old model after watching this minutes after its release. Crap, not easy to return in my case! Wish it was clarified in the video!
There is actually a huge appeal for these all in one soundbars. Speaking from someone who has lived in a townhome and had to deal with neighbors, a soundbar with a dedicated sub is tough because that rumble is going to make the neighbors none too happy. However, the all in one soundbars add a bit of bass and low end to the sound without shaking the walls and disturbing the neighbors. I don’t have this particular soundbar, but I have an older similar Vizio model that cost me under 100 bucks and I couldn’t be happier. Would I like a bigger soundbar and thumpin sub? Sure. But there are certain realities people have to deal with when it comes to respecting neighbors or roommates.
I just ordered this sound bar and it works better than my surround sound receiver. What I really like is that when I turn on the tv the soundbar comes on with it. The setup is very simple and it works great with my flexbox from Xfinity. And it works well if you do not have an ARC on your HDMI on your tv. I m really happy with this unit. I paid 100.00 for it on E-Bay free delivery with taxes included.
I really recommend this soundbar if you live in apartment and looking for budget soundbar then this is the right soundbar for you . This little stick soundbar gives you solid bass and sound I am so satisfied with my purchase. Mine is 2023 model and it only comes with power cable hdmi cable remote control without digital and pair of battery.
I just bought this sound bar today from Walmart for $115 and I am shocked from what I got. This Vizio sounds better than my old Samsung sound bar and the bass is so deep.
I work at Best Buy and I am expcting to sell a ton of these once we get them in. The number of people that want a sounbar without a subwoofer but don't want to spent Bose or SonoS money is crazy and now there looks to be a good entry level option.
Is it possible to connect my Khlipsh 10” subwoofer with the subwoofer cable that resembles an RCA cable. I don’t see any RCA ports or subwoofer port on the back of this soundbar…and my subwoofer has no HDMI ports…
@@cleitzel.23 unfortunately it is not possible to connect a third party subwoofer to almost any Soundbar on the market. They usually use a proprietary wireless connection that only works with that particular brands Soundbar and subwoofer combo
Welp, I'm sold. The man who taught me everything I know about TVs has officially sold me a soundbar. I purchased a Sony X90J back in January based on knowledge I gained from you but I've been stuck with the built in speakers and bluetooth headsets since then because I couldn't settle on a soundbar. Didn't know what to believe as far as reviews went. This makes my life much easier.
Josh, please see my note about the correct model number (I'll pin it to the top of the comments section shortly.) This video is on the M213AD-K8, ,NOT the M21d-H8, which is much easier to find as this brand new bar is slowly rolled out to retailers.
Just beware if buy one and this may or may not happen or if does it could be so infrequent it may not matter. Sometime. during use or after a TV wake up the only way to reset a Vizio sound bar and do a reboot like a computer is that it needs to be unplugged. You might tire of it from having to do from time to time if and when it looses it's connection. I don't regret buying the M5.1.2 it's buy far then best sound system for the price. I was the first to buy one when it came first available and I did read from the reviews from other models that Vizio sound bars stops working and won't then on. However when it happened to me unplugging it and plugging back will reboot it and that will connect turn back on without fail. I got the older sound bar as in this video unit and the fiber optic cable never ever failed on the connection after TV turned on. This could be HDMI port related but the remote will send signals but the sound bar can't communicate with it either during the failure. This an important the sound bar has it's own echo mode setting. My Vizio TV will put the sound bar to sleep and wake it up on quick start it's not an echo mode wake up thing either. Vizio sound bars are great when they turns on and stay in in use but that one time you have to get up or just turn on the TV speakers you could end up either still liking this sound bar with a dumb problem that may never occur in the first place or you just become another Vizio hater because this happened one more than one occasion and one being at the worst time. It all depends on how you choose to connect it fiber optic might be better but you might prefer HDMI because of the type of audio connection codex.
I have the x90j. Incredible tv. I bought a 5 channel soundbar from Samsung. Used to work so great, really elevated everything dynamics ect, Can't get the audio from tv to play anymore. Bluetooth still works perfectly. Lately I've had to use tvs built in speakers. In comparison to my soundbar it's underwhelming , but I will say the tv's built in speakers perform well compared to most.
Just purchased this unit off of Amazon for $149 and it is this model you are reviewing. I have been using Vizio sound bars for over a decade and they always deliver quality sound. This is my first sound bar with built in woofers so can't wait for it to come in! Thanks for sharing!
$150 with 10% off using a prime card. Got to replace our old Vizio 5.1 that randomly decides it doesn't want to work. I rarely used the sub or satellites so it should be a huge upgrade for us. Thanks for the recommendation.
As an Owner of this soundbar i will have to say the sound that comes out is really impressive, Still not sold on the virtual Dolby Atoms though also don't crank this up so loud the bass really starts to fade at that point, also one thing ive noticed is that for some reason this bar gets really hot for some reason, final impressions if you like alot of booming Bass this sound bar won't be for you however this is a great introduction to first time sound bar owners!
Got one today. Gotta say it's pretty damn good and for $149. As he says the surround effect isn't over the top but I'm still playing with content. The Atmos demos on UA-cam didn't blow me away. By no means a ding. I'm very impressed with it
Your review here, pushed me over the fence. And I have to say, you are spot on! This AIO is truly fantastic. Particularly at this price point. And I'm moving from a full 7.1 Atmos receiver. You're also correct about the non-existence of any actual Atmos effect. But just like you, I wasn't really expecting much in that regard anyway... and every other aspect of this thing is honestly, very impressive! Thanks much.
just moved and lost the cord to my last sound bar so i was looking for a replacement sound bar maybe on sale and saw this sound bar on clearance for $50 brand new in box. honestly a great find and way better than my previous soundbar.
I want to thank you for your honest revue of the Visio M213as-k8 soundbar. I just bought the Visio M series 75" MKX T.V. and currently use the Roku stream-bar. I'm going to replace it with the Visio unit. Again, Thanks., Martin R.
I got this for $150 around the holidays. You *do* hear surround effects at times. But I think you'd have to use it in a smaller/enclosed room where sounds can bounce off from walls and ceiling. I didn't expect much but I'm pretty satisfied I must say, especially without an external subwoofer which I didn't want to have.
you mentioned this can be wall mounted and it will auto alter to this position.. would in this position the speakers now be up firing for atmos , did you try it in this position, seems a miss if you did not
I remember watching a movie & my parents were very impressed on how good it sounded from the other side of the house. They’re jaws dropped when they saw where the sound was even coming from
This is the best sounding soundbar for an apartment. Has great base but not gonna bug neighbors. Buy this. It's better than sonos,bose,samsung,etc.Don't need seperate amp or woofer. No hassle and sleek. Buy it before you see it on eBay for $2,000
I got this because of this review but I'm having trouble with audio dropping out of sync and a 1-2 second delay before audio starts playing when apps switch between commercials and content. Using via eArc.
I do wonder how this compares to the Sonos Beam? I know the Beam costs more, but that's Vizio's schtick.. undercutting pricier options while providing similar performance and I wonder if they've done it again
I'm coming from a Vizio V51 2.1 to this. I was, and still am EXTRMELY surprised with how insanely good the V51 sounds, and from everything I hear about the whole M series line; I fully expect and believe this sound bars gonna be great. Just gotta wait 2 more days for it to arrive!
Did you measure the frequency response by chance? How deep does the bass hit? Sub 50Hz? I have an ancient, albeit still well functioning, Vizio S4251-B4 from 2013 that I still have connected to a family room TV that is multipurpose. TV, movies, UA-cam, music...and I wouldn't want to "downsize" if I'm going to be missing some of the low end. It's showing its age at this point being unable to process newer audio codecs, so I'm rarely getting actual Dolby 5.1 sound. Anyway, this has been on my watch list and I'm curious how much bass it actually produces.
It’s a $200 sound bar. I’m not sure I’ve seen a frequency response graph for any soundbar including the Ambeo. I’m surprised that it had as much bass as it did. I would check the technical specs and more importantly the power consumption (if they offer that) to compare the amplifiers. If yours is 400 watts and this one is 200 watts, it would seem to be a lower end product.
@@techsamurai11 rtings always has a frequency response graph, but I also find that they're particularly nitpicky, and I don't always agree with their overall score because of this. Sometimes it feels like soundbars can exhibit appreciable bass even when they don't actually hit as low as you might think. I was just curious where the roll off is on this, and I can probably find a review on their site for this, I was just curious what Caleb thought during real world testing. In fairness to you, you're not wrong, it's sub $200 and there's only so much it can possibly do with the space provided, and I would certainly try to keep my expectations tempered. Just wondered how his perception of it was vs the actual frequency response. My original comment might not have been clear on that. Thanks for the response, though!
@@nickspeck wow, I thought rtings tested TVs thoroughly. I just saw a review of the soundbar - I had no clue how in-depth they go with soundbars. But that's nothing compared to their vacuum cleaner tests😁 I was comparing the Dyson V15 to my old Dyson V8 and they have videos of each cleaning everything. I even learned that I can remove the rollers and wash them and saw how to do it (Dyson could learn from them!). Hard to believe the V8 is as good as the V15 except in high pile carpet even though it has 1/2 the suction on max and 1/4 on regular. I totally understand that you don't want to give anything up by switching. I just checked Vizio soundbars on Best Buy and this is one of their cheapest models. Based on the review from Caleb, looks like Vizio have a winner here espeicially if you don't need to invest in a sub.
I picked up this sound bar and set up it today, and sound takes a couple seconds to play when you start anything, even when an app auto plays the next episode of something. There is no delay between sound and video, there is just a couple seconds of silence at the front of any content. I have the bar set to pass through. Is there a fix for this?
Would you consider this the best sound bar in this price category? I don't necessarily need Atmos but I need a high quality 2.1 for my living room and bedroom.
@@stevefxp That unfortunately is not the model reviewed here. Target has the M21d-H8 on sale at $149. This new one, which apparently is only now hitting some store shelves, is the M213AD-K8. Please see comment pinned above.
@@stevefxp yeah, I responded within 5 minutes because I was worried you might accidentally get the wrong one. This is why I always say the model number in the review video, Vizio’s model names are frustrating!
Is it possible to connect my Khlipsh 10” subwoofer with the subwoofer cable that resembles an RCA cable. I don’t see any RCA ports or subwoofer port on the back of this soundbar…and my subwoofer has no HDMI ports…
I have the older version of both one in the living room and one in the bedroom. The all in one is a huge step up from tv speakers but it will never be the same as a separate subwoofer. The all in one has a lot of bass but only in loud scenes. The seperste sub gives you that background bass that fills the room and gives you a theater vibe. The all in one is like a good stereo system.
I just got one but I think I’m gonna need a little more. Feels like it’s lacking in bass and the immersive content is on the low side. I was thinking of trying the Bose 600… what do you guys think? I can’t do a sub woofer but I need the bass. Please help me out… what do you guys think?
Thank you for the review! How does this compare to the Bose TV Bluetooth speaker and the Samsung HW-A430/ZA ? There are some LG 2.1 and 5.1 options in the sub $300 range as well. Very confusing! Please let me know your thoughts!
Great review, Caleb! How would you compare this to the P514a-H6 that you reviewed a year ago? Is that sound bar worth the $600 difference? I’m looking to upgrade from my SB3851-D0, which was a great product for its time.
Wait for a review of the new Vizio just released $600 priced M-Series sound bar. The Atmos speakers don't point up but are small and built inside the sound bar and come out the sides. With that price that might be better on your budget also. With the P series you know your paying the premium price for those Atmos firing up speakers. Satellites are better than the up facing speakers because not all original programing is played back in DTS:X or Dolby Atmos so those speakers are more important than the moving or stationary Atmos speakers. The satellites fill in the gap for a better surround sound. Vizio makes the fully adjustable to. My height speakers are always makes in volume but sometime I don't when they work but I do know when my room goes into 3D sound mode. By the way I own the M5.1.2 It has a total of 11 speakers. The sound is great from but I want more. I have decided later in mid Fall to add the Vizio M5.1 sound bar because I want another all matching subwoofer and 2 more matching satellite speakers on my front walls, move my other sound bar above the TV. The idea is to have full dimension sound coming from below, behind, and from the top of the TV with 4 directional sounds from the satellites. I have 4 now and still want 2 more added.
i bought mine about a year ago on sale for abut $110-$120. i'm not a sound bar kind of guy, i like my headphones, but the sales price csught my eye. its still in the box because i forgot about it. wanted to watch a review before i opened it just in case i'd be better off selling it. idk if my tv has eARC but i'll find out.
I literally just returned Vizio's M512a-H6 last weekend. All kinds of eARC sync issues. Even when using Vizio's adjustment tool, if you switched videos or sources you'd have to adjust the sound again. After 2 days of dinking with it I was fed up. I'm still living without a soundbar, feeling burned by Vizio.
Here’s the even more frustrating thing: with eARC there aren’t supposed to be ANY sync issues. But CEC and ARC are buggy. Period. I’m not saying Vizio is innocent in your problem, but I wouldn’t be surprised if your TV had a hand in the issue, too. I see it all the time. Hope you can find a good match!
@@Caleb_Denison The TV (Hisense U7G) very well could be the culprit. The internal sound is good from the TV already, I just wanted a sub and rear speakers. Maybe try the optical connection and ditch the Dolby Atmos dream. It's in my bedroom, I probably don't need to get too fancy.
@@Caleb_Denison Update: I rolled the dice and purchased a Vizio V51-H6 for $200 at Costco. No Dolby Atmos, but I figured if eARC didn't work I wouldn't lose much switching to an optical cable. I'm happy to report that using eARC with the Vizio V51-H6 does not suffer the same audio sync problems I experienced with the Vizio M512a-H6 (same TV, Hisense U7G). Maybe it was the M512a-H6 soundbar and not the TV. Although it still could be the TV not handling the additional Dolby Atmos channels over eARC. Something to look out for when testing TV's and soundbars.
1:15 Tiny little sound bar? That thing is HUGE (that was she said). I have a 50" TV and this sound bar is almost the same length of the TV and is wide too.
I've had 2 Vizio soundbars and they're not up to par. One from like 5 years ago, soundbar and a sub, the audio separation was poor, voice would get drowned out and virtually vanish if background music was playing in scene. And, I got one last year, atmos soundbar and atmos rears with a sub, it sounds ok most the time but I sometimes need to cycle through its inputs or power on/off a few times to get it to make noise when I start watching tv.
would you recommend this over studio speakers/monitors? I am getting stuff for my gaming PC and want to get the best sound for the price. I am not a huge fan of headphones, plus I want to be able to watch movies since I have a 1440p HDR10+ monitor.
I worked for a major electronic ( speaker) manuf. You be surprised how cheap most of these speakers actually cost. Rough estimate it probably cost them about $40 to build this.
They are made mostly in Vietnam now and out of plastic. I also noticed the speaker drivers look just like Bluetooth speakers and are about the same size. I imagine most of these components are made by like 5-7 manufacturers around the global and they are streamlining their designs across different product lines so the pricing makes sense.
Does this soundbar truly support eARC ? When I enable the eARC settings on my LG C2 OLED it doesn't work properly, tried all the options (pass through, etc.) and it's connected with a certified HDMI 2.1 cable. Makes me think just like it doesn't truly have Dolby Atmos, it doesn't properly process eARC as well
I wanted to buy this but it seems like the company does not exist anymore when I clicked the official website link. I'm also living in Europe and eBay shipping costs are insane. Too bad 😢
Just bought this soundbar and it sounds ok. My problem is I don't hear any Dolby Atmos effect or any special effects over and above any typical soundbar. My Samsung TV recognized the Dolby Atmos ability but I don't hear it. I'm wondering if the fact that I have it wall mounted instead of being flat is the problem. Any help???
I don't recommend any sound system that has just two up-firing speakers. You could probably have a good time with two ceiling speakers firing down at you, but two up-firing doesn't make a lot of sense. With four, you get a dome-like effect where the front and back/side height speakers work together to give you a sense that things are going above you. With two front-height speakers, I feel like it'd be lacking. With that said, wall mounting shouldn't be an issue, just be sure the TV and nothing else blocks the path of the height speakers to the ceiling, and you should place the soundbar so the front left, center, and front right speakers are at or slightly above your ears. You can also go into the soundbars settings and raise the volume for the height if you need to. Also, your ceiling ideally should be within 7.5 to 12 feet high, and flat made of the correct material. Dolby says not to place the speakers higher than one-half the length of the wall, but to me, that's not entirely correct as with four-height speakers you still get the effect just fine.
Would you suggest the new model of the Vizio M series all in one or the Bose Solo 5 series 2 at Costco for $159. There is also the TCL Alto 8i as well.
What's the best way to connect it to a older lcd samsung TV I want to get one for my mom for xmas and I want to run audio from her TV. Bluray and roku thru this I'm considering aux but I don't know which to try lol
So, who exactly supplies the tvs for this shootout? Pink lg, dirty screens on sammy. If sony brought their own like last yr and the electronic store supplied the others, whats that say about the store’s efforts to supply a clean tv. Dont they do this for customers already? Why not for the shootout?
Okay I had an old model of this sound bar and there was a slight delay in sound. Does the new version fix this? My ocd CANNOT handle the delay. Can someone please chime in? 🙏🏽
Glad I saw your video because I was looking at the older model lol. I didn't know this one was out, I'm also considering the Vizio V51 J6 which has a 5.1 set up and I'm still under $200. I need to replace my old Vizio soundbar which I purchased dirt cheap 7 years ago, and it's outdated. Great video thanks 👍
I miss using my 2.1 I'm still lazy to wall mount it. The from 2 powerful subs was so cool. It's not outdated because it least it worked without fail every single time.
Probably a long shot for a reply, but how would this compare to an older Soundbar like a Yamaha YAS-207BL? Worth an upgrade? Or probably more of a side grade?
I have Yamaha 109 and I don't think that Vizio would be an upgrade. In fact I think Yamaha would be better given that it has almost the same speaker configuration. The only difference is Atmos and Aux In and that doesn't matter in a soundbar
Any powered speakers under $200 or even $150 that’s good for dialog and tv shows? I just don’t want that Roku streambar that everyone seems to be pushing or the Vizio thst seems to be the other budget option
Awesome review as always Caleb! Vizio makes great products for a very attractive price tag, which is great for people like myself who don’t have super deep pockets, but want to experience the movies/games as best as they can. By any chance would you be able to do an updated video on the Xbox Series X Audio options? They have changed them since your last video and I am having serious trouble getting the proper surround sound to play, where my center speakers are almost whisper quiet, meanwhile rear firing are loud as hell. All my other systems and apps stream properly, but the Xbox will not!
Hey everyone! A VERY IMPORTANT note here: This is the new all-in-one M-series, so the model number is important. It is: M213AD-K8 and is currently $199. This review is NOT for the M21d-H8, which was released previously and is currently found at retailers for $149. I don't have personal experience with the older model, which does not technically support Dolby Atmos as this soundbar does. Other differences include the LED display structure. The new model should hit store shelves soon, but can easily be confused with the older version, which is currently being sold and much easier to find.
And I’ll just add that Vizio’s model number convention drives me absolutely insane. It is SO not consumer-facing.
@@Caleb_Denison the older model AIO has an led display on the remote letting you know what input is being used and light indicators on the bar as well, it will also call out what input is currently being used. The AIO is an awesome soundbar if you keep your expectations in check, but if the new model doesn't have at least the led sceen remote its a downgrade. Awesome reviews awesome info awesome channel and you killed it at the TV shootout.
@@Caleb_Denison Please do a comparison with Yamaha 109 which has the same speaker configuration and price
I’m looking for an affordable sound bar for my basement man town. Mostly for sports and some movies. Is this sound bar suitable or would you pick something different?
Accidentally bought the old model after watching this minutes after its release. Crap, not easy to return in my case! Wish it was clarified in the video!
There is actually a huge appeal for these all in one soundbars. Speaking from someone who has lived in a townhome and had to deal with neighbors, a soundbar with a dedicated sub is tough because that rumble is going to make the neighbors none too happy. However, the all in one soundbars add a bit of bass and low end to the sound without shaking the walls and disturbing the neighbors. I don’t have this particular soundbar, but I have an older similar Vizio model that cost me under 100 bucks and I couldn’t be happier.
Would I like a bigger soundbar and thumpin sub? Sure. But there are certain realities people have to deal with when it comes to respecting neighbors or roommates.
I just ordered this sound bar and it works better than my surround sound receiver. What I really like is that when I turn on the tv the soundbar comes on with it.
The setup is very simple and it works great with my flexbox from Xfinity. And it works well if you do not have an ARC on your HDMI on your tv. I m really happy
with this unit.
I paid 100.00 for it on E-Bay free delivery with taxes included.
I really recommend this soundbar if you live in apartment and looking for budget soundbar then this is the right soundbar for you . This little stick soundbar gives you solid bass and sound I am so satisfied with my purchase. Mine is 2023 model and it only comes with power cable hdmi cable remote control without digital and pair of battery.
Does the remote take triple a?
I just bought this sound bar today from Walmart for $115 and I am shocked from what I got. This Vizio sounds better than my old Samsung sound bar and the bass is so deep.
That's not this bar, yours doesn't support Dolby Atmos. It's the basic bar with 4 speakers, not 6
I work at Best Buy and I am expcting to sell a ton of these once we get them in. The number of people that want a sounbar without a subwoofer but don't want to spent Bose or SonoS money is crazy and now there looks to be a good entry level option.
Is it possible to connect my Khlipsh 10” subwoofer with the subwoofer cable that resembles an RCA cable. I don’t see any RCA ports or subwoofer port on the back of this soundbar…and my subwoofer has no HDMI ports…
@@cleitzel.23 unfortunately it is not possible to connect a third party subwoofer to almost any Soundbar on the market. They usually use a proprietary wireless connection that only works with that particular brands Soundbar and subwoofer combo
@@humanitysonlyhope thank you for your response!
@@humanitysonlyhope which is a total shame as you could choose any quality level sub and get way better performance otherwise
Couldn't wait for yall to stock. I just ordered mine on Amazon. If I like it I will buy 2 more for my family.
Been rocking Vizio 5.1 for years. Got allot of folks into them. I paid 125. Nothing can be beat at that price. It actually sounds good 2
Welp, I'm sold. The man who taught me everything I know about TVs has officially sold me a soundbar. I purchased a Sony X90J back in January based on knowledge I gained from you but I've been stuck with the built in speakers and bluetooth headsets since then because I couldn't settle on a soundbar. Didn't know what to believe as far as reviews went. This makes my life much easier.
Josh, please see my note about the correct model number (I'll pin it to the top of the comments section shortly.) This video is on the M213AD-K8, ,NOT the M21d-H8, which is much easier to find as this brand new bar is slowly rolled out to retailers.
@@Caleb_Denison Thank you!
Just beware if buy one and this may or may not happen or if does it could be so infrequent it may not matter. Sometime. during use or after a TV wake up the only way to reset a Vizio sound bar and do a reboot like a computer is that it needs to be unplugged. You might tire of it from having to do from time to time if and when it looses it's connection.
I don't regret buying the M5.1.2 it's buy far then best sound system for the price. I was the first to buy one when it came first available and I did read from the reviews from other models that Vizio sound bars stops working and won't then on.
However when it happened to me unplugging it and plugging back will reboot it and that will connect turn back on without fail. I got the older sound bar as in this video unit and the fiber optic cable never ever failed on the connection after TV turned on. This could be HDMI port related but the remote will send signals but the sound bar can't communicate with it either during the failure.
This an important the sound bar has it's own echo mode setting. My Vizio TV will put the sound bar to sleep and wake it up on quick start it's not an echo mode wake up thing either. Vizio sound bars are great when they turns on and stay in in use but that one time you have to get up or just turn on the TV speakers you could end up either still liking this sound bar with a dumb problem that may never occur in the first place or you just become another Vizio hater because this happened one more than one occasion and one being at the worst time. It all depends on how you choose to connect it fiber optic might be better but you might prefer HDMI because of the type of audio connection codex.
I have the x90j. Incredible tv. I bought a 5 channel soundbar from Samsung. Used to work so great, really elevated everything dynamics ect, Can't get the audio from tv to play anymore. Bluetooth still works perfectly. Lately I've had to use tvs built in speakers. In comparison to my soundbar it's underwhelming , but I will say the tv's built in speakers perform well compared to most.
Just purchased this unit off of Amazon for $149 and it is this model you are reviewing. I have been using Vizio sound bars for over a decade and they always deliver quality sound. This is my first sound bar with built in woofers so can't wait for it to come in! Thanks for sharing!
How are you liking it so far? Is it good?
@@AlphaAdnan Best sound bar I have purchased from Vizio for sure! We love it! I have tinitus so I need clear dialog and like base, this delivers both!
@@uf1978 That’s awesome! I was debating whether I should get this or a different cheaper alternative but I think I’ll go with this now. Thanks!
You will like this one!@@AlphaAdnan
$150 with 10% off using a prime card. Got to replace our old Vizio 5.1 that randomly decides it doesn't want to work. I rarely used the sub or satellites so it should be a huge upgrade for us. Thanks for the recommendation.
As an Owner of this soundbar i will have to say the sound that comes out is really impressive, Still not sold on the virtual Dolby Atoms though also don't crank this up so loud the bass really starts to fade at that point, also one thing ive noticed is that for some reason this bar gets really hot for some reason,
final impressions if you like alot of booming Bass this sound bar won't be for you however this is a great introduction to first time sound bar owners!
Turn on Energy Saver 👍🏻
Can you use like a directv remote control or do you have to use the one that comes with it?
Got one today. Gotta say it's pretty damn good and for $149. As he says the surround effect isn't over the top but I'm still playing with content. The Atmos demos on UA-cam didn't blow me away. By no means a ding. I'm very impressed with it
Your review here, pushed me over the fence. And I have to say, you are spot on! This AIO is truly fantastic. Particularly at this price point. And I'm moving from a full 7.1 Atmos receiver. You're also correct about the non-existence of any actual Atmos effect. But just like you, I wasn't really expecting much in that regard anyway... and every other aspect of this thing is honestly, very impressive! Thanks much.
just moved and lost the cord to my last sound bar so i was looking for a replacement sound bar maybe on sale and saw this sound bar on clearance for $50 brand new in box. honestly a great find and way better than my previous soundbar.
This would be great in a camper, cabin or bedroom. For a home, good old fashioned speakers are simply unbeatable.
I agree 💯💯💯 with you. It would be a good hook up with my bedroom TV a Vizio OLED.
For sure, but this soundbar sound exceptionally good for its size.
I want to thank you for your honest revue of the Visio M213as-k8 soundbar. I just bought the Visio M series 75" MKX T.V. and currently use the Roku stream-bar. I'm going to replace it with the Visio unit. Again, Thanks., Martin R.
I got this for $150 around the holidays. You *do* hear surround effects at times. But I think you'd have to use it in a smaller/enclosed room where sounds can bounce off from walls and ceiling. I didn't expect much but I'm pretty satisfied I must say, especially without an external subwoofer which I didn't want to have.
I have a Vizio 5.1.2 sound bar that I got on sale at Sam’s Club and it sounds great, no issues at all.
I wasn't overly impressed with Atmos through a sound bar and decided to go with pcm setting on TV, that gives a much clearer punchier sound for me.
you mentioned this can be wall mounted and it will auto alter to this position.. would in this position the speakers now be up firing for atmos , did you try it in this position, seems a miss if you did not
I remember watching a movie & my parents were very impressed on how good it sounded from the other side of the house. They’re jaws dropped when they saw where the sound was even coming from
What is the best adjustment for the base and treble with this vizio soundbar?
What about the gyro thing and the sound directionality? We would be mounting this on a wall mounted TV.
This is the best sounding soundbar for an apartment. Has great base but not gonna bug neighbors. Buy this. It's better than sonos,bose,samsung,etc.Don't need seperate amp or woofer. No hassle and sleek. Buy it before you see it on eBay for $2,000
Got me one for $150 and it sounds great for the price. Doesn’t compare to my main system but far better than tv speakers.
How good is it for music? I don’t live in a big enough apartment that would warrant both a sound bar and a speaker, so curious if this could do both.
I give it two thumbs up ! Vizio manages to achieve total clarity with amazing accuracy. Its worth twice the price.
How does this soundbar compare to the "Denon DHT-S217 Sleek Home Theater Soundbar" (2022 Model)?
What would you recommend this soundbar vs the Polk react? Which is better would clarity wise, bass and overall clean sound
How would you compare this to the Vizio v51-h6? You reviewed this in another video and gave it a great review. Thanks
I also want to know, I want to buy of of thouse two.
OK, this one sounds like a winner. How does it compare with the V-series 2-piece bars for the price?
I got this because of this review but I'm having trouble with audio dropping out of sync and a 1-2 second delay before audio starts playing when apps switch between commercials and content. Using via eArc.
I do wonder how this compares to the Sonos Beam? I know the Beam costs more, but that's Vizio's schtick.. undercutting pricier options while providing similar performance and I wonder if they've done it again
How this soundbar could compare to the Sony HTX8500 2.1ch Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar?
My TCL TV already comes with Dolby Atmos sound. Should I get this sound bar to boost the sound?
It will sound much better than your TV speakers.
Can I buy Vizio M series in the UK and wire up to my LG 8K mini neo TV
Does this one sound better than V51-h6? Like if you took away the surround sound
great review, quick question if my TV doesnt have Dolby Atmos, it's worth it to buy a soundbar with Atmos?
I'm coming from a Vizio V51 2.1 to this. I was, and still am EXTRMELY surprised with how insanely good the V51 sounds, and from everything I hear about the whole M series line; I fully expect and believe this sound bars gonna be great. Just gotta wait 2 more days for it to arrive!
How did you end up liking it?
@dr3967 i actually did purchase it about a month ago and it's awesome I love it
@@tortillajackson6007Me too, I had this for 2 weeks and sounds awesome for the $200 price tag.
You have to unplug the m213ad-k8 or like mine it stays on and gets fairly warm.
That sound bar would be good enough for my bedroom TV.
Wouldn't the M215a-J6 be the better buy since it has a sub?
This soundbar can be connected to a PC?
Did you measure the frequency response by chance? How deep does the bass hit? Sub 50Hz? I have an ancient, albeit still well functioning, Vizio S4251-B4 from 2013 that I still have connected to a family room TV that is multipurpose. TV, movies, UA-cam, music...and I wouldn't want to "downsize" if I'm going to be missing some of the low end. It's showing its age at this point being unable to process newer audio codecs, so I'm rarely getting actual Dolby 5.1 sound. Anyway, this has been on my watch list and I'm curious how much bass it actually produces.
It’s a $200 sound bar. I’m not sure I’ve seen a frequency response graph for any soundbar including the Ambeo. I’m surprised that it had as much bass as it did. I would check the technical specs and more importantly the power consumption (if they offer that) to compare the amplifiers. If yours is 400 watts and this one is 200 watts, it would seem to be a lower end product.
@@techsamurai11 rtings always has a frequency response graph, but I also find that they're particularly nitpicky, and I don't always agree with their overall score because of this. Sometimes it feels like soundbars can exhibit appreciable bass even when they don't actually hit as low as you might think. I was just curious where the roll off is on this, and I can probably find a review on their site for this, I was just curious what Caleb thought during real world testing.
In fairness to you, you're not wrong, it's sub $200 and there's only so much it can possibly do with the space provided, and I would certainly try to keep my expectations tempered. Just wondered how his perception of it was vs the actual frequency response. My original comment might not have been clear on that.
Thanks for the response, though!
@@nickspeck wow, I thought rtings tested TVs thoroughly. I just saw a review of the soundbar - I had no clue how in-depth they go with soundbars.
But that's nothing compared to their vacuum cleaner tests😁 I was comparing the Dyson V15 to my old Dyson V8 and they have videos of each cleaning everything. I even learned that I can remove the rollers and wash them and saw how to do it (Dyson could learn from them!). Hard to believe the V8 is as good as the V15 except in high pile carpet even though it has 1/2 the suction on max and 1/4 on regular.
I totally understand that you don't want to give anything up by switching.
I just checked Vizio soundbars on Best Buy and this is one of their cheapest models. Based on the review from Caleb, looks like Vizio have a winner here espeicially if you don't need to invest in a sub.
I picked up this sound bar and set up it today, and sound takes a couple seconds to play when you start anything, even when an app auto plays the next episode of something. There is no delay between sound and video, there is just a couple seconds of silence at the front of any content. I have the bar set to pass through. Is there a fix for this?
Would you consider this the best sound bar in this price category? I don't necessarily need Atmos but I need a high quality 2.1 for my living room and bedroom.
It is at least one of the best at the price.
@@Caleb_Denison Ok cool...its on sale at Target for 149.
@@stevefxp That unfortunately is not the model reviewed here. Target has the M21d-H8 on sale at $149. This new one, which apparently is only now hitting some store shelves, is the M213AD-K8. Please see comment pinned above.
@@Caleb_Denison yup caught that after I posted. Amazon has the correct one for 179.
@@stevefxp yeah, I responded within 5 minutes because I was worried you might accidentally get the wrong one. This is why I always say the model number in the review video, Vizio’s model names are frustrating!
Is it possible to connect my Khlipsh 10” subwoofer with the subwoofer cable that resembles an RCA cable. I don’t see any RCA ports or subwoofer port on the back of this soundbar…and my subwoofer has no HDMI ports…
No.
Just got this at sams club on super clearance for $90 couldn't be happier!
Using this with my LG C2 should I be using pass through or Auto?
How does this soundbar compare to the version with the wireless subwoofer M215aw-K6 ?
I have the older version of both one in the living room and one in the bedroom. The all in one is a huge step up from tv speakers but it will never be the same as a separate subwoofer. The all in one has a lot of bass but only in loud scenes. The seperste sub gives you that background bass that fills the room and gives you a theater vibe. The all in one is like a good stereo system.
I just got one but I think I’m gonna need a little more. Feels like it’s lacking in bass and the immersive content is on the low side. I was thinking of trying the Bose 600… what do you guys think? I can’t do a sub woofer but I need the bass. Please help me out… what do you guys think?
Had the previous gen ($99 at Best Buy). It started to die about 10 months in, but was so impressive/cheap/easy, will likely buy this one.
I bought mine 5 years ago and luckily it's still going strong.
Thank you for the review! How does this compare to the Bose TV Bluetooth speaker and the Samsung HW-A430/ZA ? There are some LG 2.1 and 5.1 options in the sub $300 range as well.
Very confusing!
Please let me know your thoughts!
Your review is spot on, saving me from the mistake of purchasing an inferior albeit more expensive rival. Thanks.
Can you use your own remote or do you have to use the one that comes with it?
Is this soundbar worth upgrading from the JBL 5.0 multi-beam? I'm just curious?
Great review, Caleb! How would you compare this to the P514a-H6 that you reviewed a year ago? Is that sound bar worth the $600 difference? I’m looking to upgrade from my SB3851-D0, which was a great product for its time.
Wait for a review of the new Vizio just released $600 priced M-Series sound bar.
The Atmos speakers don't point up but are small and built inside the sound bar and come out the sides. With that price that might be better on your budget also. With the P series you know your paying the premium price for those Atmos firing up speakers. Satellites are better than the up facing speakers because not all original programing is played back in DTS:X or Dolby Atmos so those speakers are more important than the moving or stationary Atmos speakers. The satellites fill in the gap for a better surround sound. Vizio makes the fully adjustable to. My height speakers are always makes in volume but sometime I don't when they work but I do know when my room goes into 3D sound mode.
By the way I own the M5.1.2 It has a total of 11 speakers. The sound is great from but I want more.
I have decided later in mid Fall to add the Vizio M5.1 sound bar because I want another all matching subwoofer and 2 more matching satellite speakers on my front walls, move my other sound bar above the TV. The idea is to have full dimension sound coming from below, behind, and from the top of the TV with 4 directional sounds from the satellites. I have 4 now and still want 2 more added.
Thank you for a very good review!!!!! I'm seriously considering getting this soundbar!
Did you end up getting it?
@@Cgarga_96 Yes and it's very impressive!!!
Hi Caleb, were you able to test the sound bar on vertical position (wall). I was thinking to get one for my bedroom, nothing fancy.
i bought mine about a year ago on sale for abut $110-$120. i'm not a sound bar kind of guy, i like my headphones, but the sales price csught my eye. its still in the box because i forgot about it. wanted to watch a review before i opened it just in case i'd be better off selling it. idk if my tv has eARC but i'll find out.
This sound bar probably would go nicely with my bedroom Vizio OLED.
I literally just returned Vizio's M512a-H6 last weekend. All kinds of eARC sync issues. Even when using Vizio's adjustment tool, if you switched videos or sources you'd have to adjust the sound again. After 2 days of dinking with it I was fed up. I'm still living without a soundbar, feeling burned by Vizio.
Here’s the even more frustrating thing: with eARC there aren’t supposed to be ANY sync issues. But CEC and ARC are buggy. Period. I’m not saying Vizio is innocent in your problem, but I wouldn’t be surprised if your TV had a hand in the issue, too. I see it all the time. Hope you can find a good match!
😢
@@Caleb_Denison The TV (Hisense U7G) very well could be the culprit. The internal sound is good from the TV already, I just wanted a sub and rear speakers. Maybe try the optical connection and ditch the Dolby Atmos dream. It's in my bedroom, I probably don't need to get too fancy.
@@Caleb_Denison Update: I rolled the dice and purchased a Vizio V51-H6 for $200 at Costco. No Dolby Atmos, but I figured if eARC didn't work I wouldn't lose much switching to an optical cable. I'm happy to report that using eARC with the Vizio V51-H6 does not suffer the same audio sync problems I experienced with the Vizio M512a-H6 (same TV, Hisense U7G). Maybe it was the M512a-H6 soundbar and not the TV. Although it still could be the TV not handling the additional Dolby Atmos channels over eARC. Something to look out for when testing TV's and soundbars.
I know this is old but how did it sound mounted on wall with the dps gyro ? did it still sound good ?
Got the m213 ad and was wondering if I can get a second and pair them both to my Samsung TV, is it possible??
Thanks Caleb. Ive been pissed off with my LG c1's audio as of late and tada this video was made
1:15 Tiny little sound bar? That thing is HUGE (that was she said). I have a 50" TV and this sound bar is almost the same length of the TV and is wide too.
So what’s the better buy the Vizio M215a-J6 or Vizio Aio M213ad-K8?🤷🏽♂️
I've had 2 Vizio soundbars and they're not up to par. One from like 5 years ago, soundbar and a sub, the audio separation was poor, voice would get drowned out and virtually vanish if background music was playing in scene. And, I got one last year, atmos soundbar and atmos rears with a sub, it sounds ok most the time but I sometimes need to cycle through its inputs or power on/off a few times to get it to make noise when I start watching tv.
I bought one.
All I have to say is: I can’t believe this thing only costs $150 (on sale).
Does anyone know how this soundbar compare to the "JBL BAR5.0 5-Channel Multibeam Soundbar with Dolby Atmos Virtual"?
we have an older sharp aquos tv, with traditional HDMI ports. will out tv connect well without an e-Arc port HDMI?
I’m sold!
would you recommend this over studio speakers/monitors? I am getting stuff for my gaming PC and want to get the best sound for the price. I am not a huge fan of headphones, plus I want to be able to watch movies since I have a 1440p HDR10+ monitor.
How did it perform in a mounted position vs flat on table top?
Best all in one soundbar
I worked for a major electronic ( speaker) manuf. You be surprised how cheap most of these speakers actually cost. Rough estimate it probably cost them about $40 to build this.
And the 1k speakers actually cost 60 dollars ok
Sounds about right but you have to consider packaging, shipping, and dealer markup. Those things aren't free.
This bar is an outstanding value.
Yep of course. I went with the JBL one ( was on clearance) and im slightly disappointed. The bass is good but the vocals are meh. @@marvinmurakami8828
They are made mostly in Vietnam now and out of plastic. I also noticed the speaker drivers look just like Bluetooth speakers and are about the same size. I imagine most of these components are made by like 5-7 manufacturers around the global and they are streamlining their designs across different product lines so the pricing makes sense.
also, When using apple tv 4k unit should be connected to the tv’s earc port or does it matter?
Does it support optical or other ways to connect audio other then eARC?
This was an AMAZING review. So thorough!
Does this soundbar truly support eARC ? When I enable the eARC settings on my LG C2 OLED it doesn't work properly, tried all the options (pass through, etc.) and it's connected with a certified HDMI 2.1 cable. Makes me think just like it doesn't truly have Dolby Atmos, it doesn't properly process eARC as well
Does the HDMI cable power the sound bar or do you need a power cord?
You need a power cord for power...HDMI only provides audio in this case
Hey Caleb, what's your sound setup for your tv, speakers and like. I only have a 7 year old
I wanted to buy this but it seems like the company does not exist anymore when I clicked the official website link. I'm also living in Europe and eBay shipping costs are insane. Too bad 😢
Must be hot selling after this review, Amazon currently out of stock.
I thought you only conducted TV reviews, Caleb, but I’m glad I am wrong 😂
Thank you for all your great reviews!
Seems that way sometimes! But I like to check out some of the more promising deals in audio as well. I come from the audio world from back in the day.
Will go to store and see if they have one.
Just bought this soundbar and it sounds ok. My problem is I don't hear any Dolby Atmos effect or any special effects over and above any typical soundbar. My Samsung TV recognized the Dolby Atmos ability but I don't hear it. I'm wondering if the fact that I have it wall mounted instead of being flat is the problem. Any help???
I don't recommend any sound system that has just two up-firing speakers. You could probably have a good time with two ceiling speakers firing down at you, but two up-firing doesn't make a lot of sense. With four, you get a dome-like effect where the front and back/side height speakers work together to give you a sense that things are going above you. With two front-height speakers, I feel like it'd be lacking.
With that said, wall mounting shouldn't be an issue, just be sure the TV and nothing else blocks the path of the height speakers to the ceiling, and you should place the soundbar so the front left, center, and front right speakers are at or slightly above your ears. You can also go into the soundbars settings and raise the volume for the height if you need to. Also, your ceiling ideally should be within 7.5 to 12 feet high, and flat made of the correct material. Dolby says not to place the speakers higher than one-half the length of the wall, but to me, that's not entirely correct as with four-height speakers you still get the effect just fine.
Would you suggest the new model of the Vizio M series all in one or the Bose Solo 5 series 2 at Costco for $159. There is also the TCL Alto 8i as well.
How does it compare to the Sonos beam? i know there is a big price difference but??
Will you ever do a review on the M215aw-K6? I can’t find a lot on this sound bar even with the great reviews on amazon.
Thanks for the video! Vizio was off my list, but I just might reconsider Vizio.
Can you review products that are sold outside of US? Even better if they are also available on 220V. Thanks.
What's the best way to connect it to a older lcd samsung TV I want to get one for my mom for xmas and I want to run audio from her TV. Bluray and roku thru this I'm considering aux but I don't know which to try lol
So, who exactly supplies the tvs for this shootout? Pink lg, dirty screens on sammy. If sony brought their own like last yr and the electronic store supplied the others, whats that say about the store’s efforts to supply a clean tv. Dont they do this for customers already? Why not for the shootout?
Okay I had an old model of this sound bar and there was a slight delay in sound. Does the new version fix this? My ocd CANNOT handle the delay. Can someone please chime in? 🙏🏽
Glad I saw your video because I was looking at the older model lol. I didn't know this one was out, I'm also considering the Vizio V51 J6 which has a 5.1 set up and I'm still under $200. I need to replace my old Vizio soundbar which I purchased dirt cheap 7 years ago, and it's outdated. Great video thanks 👍
I miss using my 2.1 I'm still lazy to wall mount it. The from 2 powerful subs was so cool. It's not outdated because it least it worked without fail every single time.
How about that change to wall mounth aspect?
Probably a long shot for a reply, but how would this compare to an older Soundbar like a Yamaha YAS-207BL? Worth an upgrade? Or probably more of a side grade?
I have Yamaha 109 and I don't think that Vizio would be an upgrade. In fact I think Yamaha would be better given that it has almost the same speaker configuration. The only difference is Atmos and Aux In and that doesn't matter in a soundbar
Any powered speakers under $200 or even $150 that’s good for dialog and tv shows? I just don’t want that Roku streambar that everyone seems to be pushing or the Vizio thst seems to be the other budget option
Awesome review as always Caleb! Vizio makes great products for a very attractive price tag, which is great for people like myself who don’t have super deep pockets, but want to experience the movies/games as best as they can.
By any chance would you be able to do an updated video on the Xbox Series X Audio options? They have changed them since your last video and I am having serious trouble getting the proper surround sound to play, where my center speakers are almost whisper quiet, meanwhile rear firing are loud as hell. All my other systems and apps stream properly, but the Xbox will not!